Battle of Deep Space Copernicus
Earth Orbit As you enter orbit above the blue-green surface of Earth, you peer through the clouds and see various possible landing sites... Contents: Battlecruiser Kup Exo-Armor Pegasus Cyclonus Decepticon Starship Sweep Spacecraft Autobot Flagship Risk - Harvest-One Risk - Copernicus Station Terran Sensor #8438 Moon Obvious exits: Starport <76> leads to Starport 76 -- Landing Pad. Escape Orbit leads to Terrestrial Planets . Eastern Hemisphere leads to Stratosphere above Eastern Hemisphere. Western Hemisphere leads to Stratosphere above Western Hemisphere. Ayotizinco Cairo Spaceport Houston Spaceport Autobot City New York City EDC Korean Spaceport Rodimus Prime boards Autobot Flagship . Transforming into his starfighter mode, Cyclonus is backlit by the eerie blue glow of nuclear-powered turbines as they come online. The nosecone opens up and reveals it's megavolt cannon, while the engines fold down and the wings fold back, revealing Scattershot's third form to be his Battlestation Mode. Happen to have just arrived in the area and.....rather than take a drink back in Metroplex, he figured he'd better take a radar sweep of the immediate area. Of course, being one of the rare aquaintences of Marissa Faireborne.....he....didn't tell her he was here. Maglocked on the top of the station, he's sitting there in his battlestation mode.....using his radar for said sweep. Wandering through the hangars of Copernicus station is Kup, and he is currently supervising offloading operations for munitions from Earth. "Let's go, people!" he yells at the mixed crew of Autobots and humans running about. "This ammo ain't gonna move itself, and if we're gonna win this damn space war we're gonna need every single round ready to ship wherever we need it!" To assist in the offloading, and perhaps to inspire the others to greater feats of strength, Kup is himself carting around enormous crates, sometimes one-handed. What he doesn't let show is how such an effort taxes his old body. Exo-Armor Pegasus is patrolling around the vacinity at this time, though the pilot isn't too thrilled. It's always been boring work, but he's smart enough not to complain about it verbally. Every so often he comes in to see how Kup and the others are doing, hovering nearby to get a good look at their progress. From the depths of space, something very large is approaching. The soft vip-beep of the Copernicus' scanners will register this immediatly before a thunderous explosion. A long range cruise missile of some sort has detonated against the station's hull. Immediatly followed by a second and then a third. Once the bone-jarring shaking stops, the object is shown to be very much closer and an optical look will reveal it as the Absolution -- flagship of the Imperial Decepticon Forces. For just a moment after dropping out of FTL it hovers ominously, then it banks towards Copernicus Station and accelerates under full burn; a quintet of missiles dropping out of it's launchers. Standing on the exterior of the hull near the bridge is Cyclonus, his sword upraised and pointed down towards the station in the classic 'attack' gesture. << NO QUARTER, DECEPTICONS! IF IT CANNOT BE TAKEN -- BURN IT! BURN IT ALL! >> He transforms into his starfighter mode then and rockets forwards as the vessel continues to open fire on Copernicus Station. Sweep Spacecraft detaches from the Absolution like a remora swimming away from a shark. Except not really like an animal, since that would be very weird. More like an oblong mechanical alien pod from the future. Following him is a flight of Sweeps, dropping off of the Decepticon warship one by one and spreading out. "SWEEPS!" he calls out over an open frequency, not caring who hears. "SCATTER AND TERMINATE THEIR DEFENSIVE FIGHTERS!" The Sweep Commander himself rolls and rotates up around the ship, ending up next to Cyclonus and matching his vector while identical drone-like versions of himself all break off and head for the station. "Cyclonus," he growls, "Just give me a target." Cyclonus says, "Sensors detected Scattershot near the uppermost perimiter of the station, brother." Cyclonus says, "Kill him." Scattershot says, "Kup....Incoming." Kup says, "I know, I can feel it all over the station!" Jayson Redfield says, "Aw, hell..." Scattershot says, "Looks like one of the sweeps too." Red Alert says, "Duel attack. We've got Deceptcons here as well. Scattershot, where are you? Cyclonus is on-scene with you. Checking to see who we've got here." Scattershot says, "I'm already at Copernicus Station Red Alert." Cybertronian Jet blasts alongside Cyclonus, humming the opening number to the animated GI Joe movie. You know the one. Crashing through the sky, comes a fearful cry: Cobra (Cobra!). He stops and repeats the theme once he reaches the part where GI Joe normally comes in and starts beating up the bad guys. He absentmindedly sends several missiles streaking towards Copernicus. Combat: Cybertronian Jet strikes Risk - Copernicus Station with his Long ranged missile (Disruptor) attack! Combat: Gained 1 energon. Scattershot says, "We've also got Cyclonus here, Kup." Scattershot says, "and a......oh wonderful....another seeker. haven't they run out of colors yet?" Red Alert says, "I just said that! Oh. Looks like Mimas has Hun-Grrr and two jets. Still trying to determine which two." Scattershot says, "mmmm....good point, Red." Scattershot says, "Hit 'em in the nose, and if it doesn't bend, it's a conehead." Kup gasps, unexpectedly stumbling forward and dropping his crate as the station is jarred violently by the multiple impacts. No real damage there, but Kup hears people shouting in alarm--some improperly secured heavy missiles have fallen off of their storage racks and are rolling right towards some humans! Acting quickly, Kup jumps over the humans, and thrusts the palms of his hands out to catch the missiles. The missiles slam into his hands with a loud CLANG, and Kup slides across the floor for several meters, sparks shooting out from his feet, but eventually he stops the munitions. "Someone secure these damn missiles!" Kup yells. "For real, this time! I gotta take care of our visitors! Also, wrap it up here and get ready to evacuate if it turns out we ain't gonna win!" Soon after, Kup has emerged from an airlock, musket in hand. He walks out onto the hull of the Copernicus, his feet sticking to it magnetically. "Where are you, Cyclonus?!" Kup yells out across transmission frequencies. "I gotta score to settle with you!" He squints into the void, just barely spotting the purple space fighter streaking in. "Ahh, that's gotta be you! Let's go, you stinkin' goon!" Combat: Kup sets his defense level to Guarded. Combat: Kup strikes Cybertronian Starfighter with his Laser attack! Battlestation turns his turret and suddenly lifts off, before transforming and flying straight for Excise. "I've got the.....whoever this seeker is." He says before opening up with some laser blasts of his own. Lifting into the air, the wings extend, engines lock into place and the nose locks into place, revealing Scattershot's second form to be a heavy fighter. Combat: Battlecruiser misses Cybertronian Jet with its Disruptor attack! Combat: Battlecruiser (Scattershot) used "Disruptor": A Level 1 RANGED attack. Exo-Armor Pegasus ducks back at the start of the assault. Realizing that he'll be of little use, Jayson chooses not to fight if he can avoid it, and instead banks around toward any unarmored comrades to make sure they stay unharmed. To be safe, however, he activates his weapons, watching the Decepticons closely and ready to fight back if necessary. He hopes it won't be...but he's anxious for a fight, as much as he hates to admit it. Kup, Jayson, and Scattershot are soon joined by squadrons of EDC fighters, which pour out of the station from its hangars. Several Autobots also join Kup on the hull, firing up at the swarms of Sweeps--their only option here, in space, where most of them have less than useful ground modes. Sweep Spacecraft separates from Cyclonus and the Absolution as the laser blasts come flying in all around. Taking advantage of the limitless space out here, he swoops around in a wide arc to cut across the defenders from the side. It's Kup that he homes in on, swiftly bypassing most of the station's outer defenses to skim across its hull. At such a high relative velocity, it's not required that he fire anything with any amount of force. He just releases a spread of tiny BB-like projectiles and pulls away, letting momentum do the job for him. Combat: Scourge sets his defense level to Guarded. Combat: Sweep Spacecraft strikes Kup with his Relativistic BBs (Pistol) attack! "Seeker? Seeker?!" Excise retorts. The fury of being called a Seeker propels him into action, and his weaving back and forth as Scattershot gets on his tail manages to cause the laser blasts to rip right past him. "I am no Seeker, Terrorcon scum! I am a /triplechanger/! Hoo hah! Able to go from robot to jet to something-or-other and back again! You'd do well to remember that!" For most jets, having an enemy fighter on your tail puts you in a real pickle, but Excise's ventral electro-turret gives him a 180 degree firing arc. Said turret faces Scattershot and unleashes a series of electro-bolts. "Pew pew pew!" Excise says. Combat: Cybertronian Jet misses Battlecruiser with his Electro Cannon attack! -3 Combat: Drained 2 energon. Saboteur Foxfire says, "Ahh...I don't think we're gonna hold out too long if they keep attacking like this!" Red Alert says, "Well, the station won't. If we're going to use these defenses, we'd better use them." Cyclonus is currently hanging back to control the battle; orbiting once around the Absolution in a station keeping pattern to see what is going on. There is a grunt of satisfaction as the capital ship presses forward and continues it's assault and Excise and Scourge go tearing off after their targets. After their targets ..... wait. Inwardly, his attention narrows onto one -- this being Kup. << You are either foolish or incredibly brave, Autobot. Scourge, disengage. Assist Excise with Scattershot or find another target! A human to kill perhaps! The old one is /MINE/. >> Under full burn now towards Kup he accelerates, his forward batteries coming online with a long burst of magenta energy even as he has to corkscrew through the weapons fire of both EDC and Autobots to do it. Combat: Cyclonus sets his defense level to Neutral. Combat: Cybertronian Starfighter misses Kup with his Oxidizing Laser attack! -5 First Aid says, "Bringing them online! I hope Dirge likes surprises..." Red Alert says, "I'll try to get Hun-Grr off you!" First Aid says, "Thanks Red! Foxfire, the other console is yours if you want to try and take a bite out of that other Decepticon." Saboteur Foxfire says, "Okay!" Kup says, "Cyclonus is MINE." Jayson Redfield says, "You can have 'im!" Battlecruiser banks hard as Excise fires his own shots at Scattershot. <> He says as he fires a couple more shots at Excise. <> He doesn't chuckle, yet, as he continues to pursue Excise.....his own turret tracking the con.... Combat: Battlecruiser misses Cybertronian Jet with its Turret-Mounted Artillery attack! Combat: Battlecruiser (Scattershot) used "Turret-Mounted Artillery": A Level 4 AREA-RANGED attack. Kup grunts as the little BB pellets spark across his chest. Had they been fired from a shotgun he would've barely felt it, but at Scourge's high speeds they borrow into his armor rather deeply. He enjoys more success against Cyclonus, though, because he was focusing on him so much. When Cyclonus's lasers stitch across the Copernicus's hull, the old mech is able to hop to the side to avoid the weapons fire. "I dunno, Cyclonus, from where I stand, yer lookin' pretty stupid yerself. Maybe you oughta call Scourge back over and have him help ya, huh? Heheh!" He punctuates his smack talk with a burst of acid musket fire. The EDC fighters and the gumby Autobots appear to be giving Cyclonus a wide berth for some reason, but is that because they're afraid of Cyclonus, or...? Combat: Kup sets his defense level to Neutral. Combat: Kup misses Cybertronian Starfighter with his Acid Musket Laser attack! -4 Exo-Armor Pegasus stays in place as the unarmored humans seek shelter. The exo cracks its knuckles--or gives an impression of it, anyway. "C'mon, take 'em out," Jayson mutters under his breath. "Wow, you must be one of those 'special teams' Autobots," Excise snorts. Another fancy weaving maneuver as he ducks around the bulk of Copernicus for cover without slowing down later and the shots from Scattershot... er... scatter... away from him. "And by 'special' I of course mean 'retarded'. Look up the word triplechanger, fool! Ain't the same as Seeker! I mean, not that I have anything against Seekers. Some of my best friends are Seekers! But I ain't no Seeker!" Twisting around and pulling a 180, Excise is now heading straight back towards the Technobot, unleashing a flurry of missiles along the way. Cybertronian Starfighter is doing a brilliant job of threading the needle through the deadly miasma of fire that is screaming around him in both directions. Shots from his own sweep and seeker squadrons, EDC Fighters and Gumby Autobots, along with the heavy bulkhead busting cruise missiles that belong to the Absolution. Like an Evil Luke Skywalker during a trench run he blasts forwards only to grow a touch concerned as the incoming fire thins. For the moment, he ignores Kup's taunts as he focuses on closing the distance with him. He's not where he wants to be yet, but he's screaming perilously close as his forward battery comes online yet again. It seems that he's setting himself up for one of his devastating ramming attacks as soon as he is able. Either way, the oxidizing laser again reaches out in attempt to blast into Kup and rust whatever it is that it comes into contact with. Combat: Cyclonus sets his defense level to Fearless. Combat: Cybertronian Starfighter strikes Kup with his Oxidizing Laser attack! -3 Combat: That attack has temporarily impaired Kup's Agility. (Crippled) Combat: Cybertronian Jet strikes Battlecruiser with his Missile Flurry attack! Combat: Used up 1 Missiles. 5 remain. Sweep Spacecraft is at the apex of a parabolic path that theoretically brings him back toward the station when Cyclonus gives him his orders. "Consider them all dead!" he barks, veering sharply toward the mass of humans and firing a solid beam of energy at one of the exos. It just so happens that the exo is Jayson Redfield's. "I'll see your insides sprayed all over the hull of your space station, insignificant specks!" Combat: Sweep Spacecraft misses Exo-Armor Pegasus with his Laser Lance (Disruptor) attack! Jayson Redfield says, "Whoa!" Kup says, "Don't just stand there and get shot at, lad! Fight back!" Jayson Redfield says, "Easy for you to say. You'd actually have a chance at beating this guy. But okay..." Exo-Armor Pegasus is the (un)fortunate target? Lovely. As the beam fires, it ducks to the side and whips around so that the pilot can get a good look at Scourge. He, of course, can't tell if it *is* Scourge or just a generic Sweep, but he supposes it doesn't matter. He aims an arm-mounted gun and fires a beam of his own in retaliation. Combat: Exo-Armor Pegasus strikes Sweep Spacecraft with its Laser attack! Battlecruiser banks hard, while his turrets continue to track Excise. They're all the same to him. Cons are like rust spots after all. However, as he's nailed with the missiles.....he manages a rather weak roll before turning back towards Excise.....and taking care to aim his nose at the con. Combat: Scattershot sets its defense level to Fearless. Combat: Battlecruiser misses Cybertronian Jet with its Megavolt Pulse Cannon attack! Combat: Battlecruiser (Scattershot) used "Megavolt Pulse Cannon": A Level 5 RANGED attack. Kup knows exactly what Cyclonus is up to, and the Decepticon second-in-command has done a good job of getting his target ready for it. Once the Oxidizing Laser sweeps across his hip, the paint flakes and quickly reveals rusted armor underneath. "Arrrrgh!" Kup grunts, almost dropping to a knee. He finds standing up again much harder than it should be--his servos grind and strain, no longer the high-quality alloys they used to be. "You wanna ram me, Cyclonus!?" Kup snarls at the space warrior. "Well, yer gonna have to beat me to it!" And then, in a possibly insane move, Kup lunges forward, transforms into truck mode, drives across the surface of the Copernicus until inertia causes him to float off--directly at Cyclonus! Kup falls forward, folding up into really old looking futuristic truck! Combat: Kup sets his defense level to Fearless. Combat: Cybertruck strikes Cybertronian Starfighter with his Old-Fashioned Overrun attack! Sweep Spacecraft barks a laugh as the laser scores his armor, as one of the humans has the gall to shoot back. "You'll be begging for the mercy of Lord Galvatron today, dog. Right before I rip your lungs out and wear them like a medal. Now GET OVER HERE!" The Sweep streaks toward the human, but instead of firing more laser blasts, he projects a glowy yellow tractor beam to try and snag the Exo-Suit and pull it out with him into open space. Combat: Scourge sets his defense level to Fearless. Combat: Sweep Spacecraft misses Exo-Armor Pegasus with his Laser Lasso attack! Cybertronian Jet is getting lucky against Scattershot, but he's too dumb to realize it. Instead he thinks it is all skill. The triplechanger nearly collides with Scattershot but pulls off at the last second, evading the shot from Scattershot's nosecone. "Normally I'd want to stab your sorry tinplated aft, Bot, but I gotta say... dogfighting you is pretty fun. Must be because you suck so bad! Haw haw haw!" Once again Scattershot is on his tail, but thanks to his electro turret this isn't a big problem. Combat: Cybertronian Jet misses Battlecruiser with his Electro Blast (Laser) attack! Combat: Drained 2 energon. Cybertronian Starfighter is vibrating under the sheer verb of his own accelerations. His engines are currently running at something like a hundred and ten percent. Raw power is churning out of his internal reactor, driving the unclean engines to dump waste isotopes into space that will not decay for years yet to come. He shows absolutely no fear of Kup as the Elder transforms. Indeed, when Kup launches himself into his trajectory he simply punches his afterburners and veritably leaps forwards. The impact is tremendous. Kup strikes Cyclonus' sharply pointed nose, mangling the antennae there and ploughing a furrow down his right side. Armor plating buckles like so much sheet metal under the sheer force of the impact and a deep, rending incision is made across his port wing. He doesn't even have time to transform -- the impact carries him directly into the side of Copernicus station, through the hull and into a hangar bay where he skids along in a shower of sparks and radiation, coming to rest half stunned against a back wall. Combat: Cybertronian Starfighter strikes Cybertruck with his Ramming Speed attack! Cyclonus says, "*SLAM* *static*" Dr. Excise says, "Cyclonus!" Kup says, "*CRUNCH* Arrrgh!" First Aid says, "Kup!" Scattershot says, "Kup? RESPOND SLAGGIT!" Red Alert seems to be hearing suspiciously similar things on two different channels! "What's going on out there?" Kup says, "Nfffghh... I'm... OK. Where's... where'd Cyclonus go?" Scourge says, "Cyclonus, I'm only going to say this once. /GET/! /UP/!" >:( Gears says, "To meet his creator?" Jayson Redfield says, "I think he crashed into one of the hangar bays." Kup says, "Wish I was that lucky, Gears. Thanks, Jayson." "Hell no!" The Pegasus dodges the lasso with ease. "C'mere and get me yerself if you want me that badly!" Jayson switches the settings on the arm-gun, and then fires again. He's brave, one has to admit, but even he doubts he'll really do much against Scourge. Combat: Exo-Armor Pegasus strikes Sweep Spacecraft with its Disruptor attack! Cyclonus says, "Systems restabilizing." Cyclonus says, "Estimated time to power re-routing completion: four seconds." Red Alert says, "He's recovered. Cyclonus, I me- yikes!" Saboteur Foxfire says, "Gross!" Battlecruiser sees the dogfighting is getting them nowhere.....so rather than just let the jet get the better of him.....he turns a course for Copernicus station and transforms. <> he says over shortwave. Hopefully this'll goad the Decepticon into a physical battle. Flipping his legs out, the wing guns sweep back and the body unfurls itself to reveal the Technobot Commander, Scattershot! Combat: Scattershot takes extra time to steady itself. Pass The Autobot leader had not been sitting idle while the Autobots were under attack in two corners. No, he had been getting the bridge crew of the Orion Pax into gear, hurring them along, darting from station to station, impatiently, as he listened to reports over the radio. The Pax is a big ship - it takes awhile to move. But now, on the edges of sensor range, and soon after visual range, the massive vessel shows itself. If there's any question as to what that tremendous object on the edge of vision is, however, that doubt ends now, as Rodimus Prime activates a general frequency radio broadcast from the ship. "Decepticons!" he 'shouts'. "Withdraw /now/ or face the consequences." Cybertruck 's front end is unrecognizably smashed in from the ferocious impact, and his left tire is sheared right off, trailing a bit of wires and metal behind it as it is sent rocketing to the Earth. The truck spins through space before he finally reawakens, transforming into robot mode and giving his head a good shake. He can't fly and return to the Copernicus, but he is, fortunately, close enough to an anti-cap ship gun that he is able to push off of its long barrel with his feet and propel himself to the hull breach Cyclonus opened up. An unsuited human flies out of the breach, sucked out by the vacuum, and Kup catches him as he sails back in. After tossing the human down an adjacent corridor, which soon seals behind the human and repressurizes, Kup slams against the deck of the hangar Cyclonus is in, groggily crawling over to him and attempting to punch him while he's down. "Nnnfff, you got the worst of that collision, you know!" he boasts. The faded green cybertruck springs up and splits apart, revealing the ancient Autobot, Kup! Combat: Kup strikes Cybertronian Starfighter with his Did you catch the number of that truck that--oh that was me (Punch) attack! Sweep Spacecraft spins off-center as the lasso provides no resistance for him to pull against. Veering back in sharply at the Terran exo-suit, all of his panels fold out and the oblong saucer converts into its fearsome robot form. The disruptor bolt pings against his chest armor halfway through the transformation, leaving a dark smudge on the purple. "Then I'll come to you!" he snaps, flying across the void like a demon, metal claws flashing brightly in the sun. There's a sharp downward motion of one powerful arm. Rodimus Prime's warning goes ignored, as Scourge focuses on nothing else but his prey. Sweep Spacecraft transforms into his Scourge mode. Combat: Scourge strikes Exo-Armor Pegasus with his Clawed Assault attack! Jayson Redfield says, "Okay--ow--now I'm *sure* this is Scourge. Guess I'm his latest choice in prey." Cybertronian Starfighter has commited most of his aces during this battle and he isn't about to back out this early. The arrival of the Orion Pax is relayed to him by the Seeker Astromath, the commander of the Absolution. Even though his systems are not yet fully online he is still able to respond. His orders are not carried across the open broadband but the result of them is obvious: The Absolution ceases fire on Copernicus. Possibly lucky for the station. Slowly and ponderously with all the stately majesty that only a capital ship can manage it comes about and orientates itself to face the Orion Pax then. Then it fires it's main engines to close the gap; launching seekers as it goes. It also fires another brace of missiles towards the Autobot Cruiser. Cyclonus himself is indeed dazed and his systems are not fully online when Kup reaches him. And so his punch goes unanswered; a massive dent forming in his right wing. But it apparently rights something for the Decepticon Second in Command transforms, a sneer on his face as he attempts to punch Kup in the face right back. "If you devoted less space and weight to cranial shielding and more towards cerebral circuitry, you would not be in this mess, fool!" He is looking rather worse for wear, but is showing no signs of backing down yet. The purple glow of nuclear-powered turbines fades away as Cyclonus shifts into Robot Mode. Combat: Cyclonus misses Kup with his Oh What A Pretty Face (Punch) attack! Kup says, "Don't let yerself become a trophy, kid. Pull out if you have to! And Rodimus--good to see you!" Cybertronian Jet manages to lose Scattershot as he weaves and ducks around the outcroppings that make up the outer hull of Copernicus Station. He transforms into robot mode and draws out an orange pick-axe from his subspace scabbard. "Sure thing, Scatter/crap/, but you do it on my terms. Come on over before I finish bashing a hole in this crummy station, huh?" He gives a few overheaded swings at the station's outer hull. Unfortunately due to not knowing Copernicus Station's layout, Excise is trying to break through where the armour is at its thickest. It'll take him a while to make much progress. More than meets the eye! Excise transforms into his powerful robot mode. Jayson Redfield mutters, "No arguments here. I've already had several bad experiences with Sweeps." Combat: Excise misses Risk - Copernicus Station with his Pickaxe attack! -4 Combat: Gained 4 energon. Rodimus Prime says, "Hey, Kup! You sounded like you were having so much fun, I was starting to feel left out!" Kup says, "Oh, yeah, lad, plenty of fun to go around, here!" Jayson Redfield says dryly, "We're having a blast." >:( Gears says, "You don't say. Well, we're watching a terrorcon pull a Callista Flockhart. It's a wonder he's still fat." Kup ducks under Cyclonus's punch, snickering as he goes into a crouch. "Yeah, I'm pretty thick-headed. Lots of Autobots tell me that. Sometimes even to my face! But it does come in pretty handy--" Kup springs up suddenly, aiming the top of his cranium at Cyclonus's jaw. "--as a weapon!" Several Exo-Suited EDC troops stomp in from an adjacent room then, raising weapons up at Cyclonus, but Kup angrily yells, "HE'S MINE!" and, after glancing at each other awkwardly, the EDC troops depart to deal with other intruders. Combat: Kup sets his defense level to Aggressive. Exo-Armor Pegasus is slashed right across the chest. Jayson winces, then steadies himself. As relieved as he is to hear Rodimus's voice, he has other things to worry about, such as not getting torn to shreds. The exo clenches a fist, then throws it at Scourge's face. He almost feels like he's in a street fight. Except this time he's against an opponent with claws. And an ugly beard. And lasers. Okay, maybe it's not like a street fight at all. Combat: Exo-Armor Pegasus strikes Scourge with its Punch attack! Saboteur Foxfire says, "Pull a what?" Combat: Kup misses Cyclonus with his Headbutt (Smash) attack! >:( Gears says, "binge and purge, Foxfire. It's what the humans do to stay thin while they eat like cybernetic swine." Saboteur Foxfire says, "Ah..." He pauses. "Ew." Scattershot manages to catch Excise as he....misses....the space station. <> He says as he goes after Excise at a dead run. He seems ready to tackle Excise and beat the snot out of him.....if he....had glands that is. Kup says, "Hey, Gears, come on, we got humans on this frequency, too!" >:( Gears says, "Oh. So they'll understand." Combat: Scattershot misses Excise with its Smackdown attack! Combat: Scattershot (Scattershot) used "Smackdown": A Level 4 MELEE attack. City Commander Ultra Magnus says, "A little more tact, if you wouldm Gears." >:( Gears grumbles. Allllll right... Scourge floats next to the exo-suit and lets Jayson take his best shot with that Punch. It whangs right off the Sweep's armor, leaving but the barest dent. Scourge smirks and flies back momentarily. "I would love to rip you apart /right now/, but Lord Galvatron commands that we annihilate this paltry defensive line. SWEEPS! STRIKE NOW!" From all corners of the open battlefield, oblong metal spacecraft swarm, opening fire with all manner of missiles, rockets, and bombs. /Everywhere/. Scourge smirks, and surveys the carnage. Combat: Scourge has created a bomb: "Sweeps Arrive Everyone Dies"! Combat: Scourge strikes Kup with Sweeps Arrive Everyone Dies's Huge Explosion #9283 Area attack! Combat: Scourge's Sweeps Arrive Everyone Dies is destroyed! Combat: Scourge strikes Scattershot with Sweeps Arrive Everyone Dies's Huge Explosion #9283 Area attack! Combat: Scourge misses Exo-Armor Pegasus with Sweeps Arrive Everyone Dies's Huge Explosion #9283 Area attack! Combat: Scourge strikes Risk - Copernicus Station with Sweeps Arrive Everyone Dies's Huge Explosion #9283 Area attack! Autobot Flagship moves with a stately majesty... mostly because it's too damned big to move /quickly/. As it cuts noislessly through space, hatches open and aerial fighters launched - although these troopers are woefully outnumbered compared with the Decepticon Seekers. The Autobots never had near the number of air-and-space capables as the Decepticons. The Autobots, however, fight with a furious dedication in partial counter to the numbers, and they are backed by the Orion Pax, which sends supporting fire into the fray. This, unfortunately, leaves less fire to return on the Absolution. And then the Orion Pax transforms... The Orion Pax begins to shift -- turrets and torpedo ports appear out of nowhere as peaceful-looking starship transforms itself into a powerful battlecruiser! Jayson Redfield says, "HOLY--" Autobot Flagship is not joining code-wise. Is just dancing opposite the Absolution. Scattershot says, "We need to evacuate the rest of the personnel in the station. We don't have anyone present to handle Scourge." Excise wiffs the station. It is a touch embarassing but it still gets the job done. He watches as the Technobot follows him. Perfect. Just as Excise had hoped! "For your information /that was a practice swing/!!!" Still, his reputation as a blademaster has perhaps taken a hit. Scattershot has joined him in battle, but Excise suddenly flies upwards, escaping the tackle attempt even as he brings the pickaxe down, trying to smack Scattershot on the head. The triplechanger then hears Scourge's order and immediately begins flying away. "Go get 'em, boys!" he tells the Sweeps as they, er, sweep past him. Combat: Excise strikes Scattershot with his Blade Master attack! -3 Combat: Gained 1 energon. The Absolution continues it's stately acceleration towards the Orion Pax as the crew swarms to full on battle stations. They haven't had a chance to do battle against their hated rivals on the Autobot Flagship in a long time. And they are apparently eager as the Absolution's guns come online. A series of brilliant cyan energy beams attempt to link the two vessels, missiles streaking out afterwards to punctuate it. The Autobot Flagship's own fire is gouging furrows into the nose of the Absolution. On Deck Nine, a power conduit ruptures and fills an entire section with plasma. Several seekers perish before damage control teams can get ahold of it. Meanwhile, Cyclonus is waging his own private war inside the hangar bay. When Kup lunges forward to head-butt him his hand thuds against the Autobot Elder's head, pushing him away in a gesture not unlike a straight arm tackle. For all of his prowess as a starfighter, one should not discount Cyclonus' own strength. He is about to say something else when the Sweeps' volley goes rocketing into the hangar bay -- forcing him to seperate himself from Kup. Kup may hear Cyclonus' bellow of rage at his 'solo' combat being stolen from him, along with something like 'SCOURGE YOU IDIOT' before he vaults over a damaged fighter craft, his sword swinging high at neck level. Rodimus Prime says, "I'll handle that." Combat: Cyclonus misses Kup with his Diamond-Boron Carbide Sword attack! -2 Kup says, "Rrrggh! Fine. I'm ordering a evacuation of non-essential personnel from the station, just in case. As for the ammo we were loadin' earlier--frag, I want the hangar crews loading up as much as they can onto the cargo vessels. We can't let the Decepticons have it." Scattershot says, "At least take Cyclonus' wing for a trophy, Kup...." Kup says, "At this point I'm more worried he'll take off something of mine!" Rodimus Prime says, "Direct the cargo and excape vessels towards the Pax." Scattershot says, "Yessir." Jayson's eyes widen. He manages to avoid the assault himself, but he's a lot more worried about everyone else, especially those who lack armor. He descends and tries to protect as many people as he can, while most of them run for shelter or stay there if they've already done so. "Get off the station!" he emits. "Escape, now!" Cyclonus says, "RAH! SCOURGE YOU IDIOT! HE WAS /MINE/! /MINE!/" Scattershot is literally blown off the station. He was made for space combat, but he was getting smoked by a seeker....or what he viewed as one. The Station wasn't going to last much longer....especially after that bomb went off. So he's just going to have to do things a little more......brutal. made apparent by him transforming and flying straight at Excise. Lifting into the air, the wings extend, engines lock into place and the nose locks into place, revealing Scattershot's second form to be a heavy fighter. Jayson Redfield says, "Kup, Scattershot, are you guys okay?" Combat: Battlecruiser strikes Excise with his Ram attack! Combat: Battlecruiser (Scattershot) used "Ram": A Level 3 VELOCITY attack. Combat: You took 16 damage. Scourge says, "He's still yours, Cyclonus. Lord Galvatron wants them dead, so just kill him and be done with it." Kup was just about to sucker-punch Cyclonus in the gut while the Decepticon was trying to hold him down, but then, suddenly, a swarm of missiles flies in through the breach he made in the hull earlier and slam right into his back, forcing him to stumble forward. With Cyclonus moving out of the way, Kup catches himself against the wall, gasping as he recovers from the hit. "Nnnff, hey, guess, you took my advice, after all, uh?" Kup snickers. "Scourge helped you--slag!" He ducks his head down as Cyclonus's sword whooshes over him, barely missing him. "But I got bad news for ya!" Kup growls, coming up and trying to grab Cyclonus's arm and pull it straight. "I'm still in the game, and I'm still gonna kick yer aft!" Then Kup's free arm comes up, the crook of his arm trying to hit Cyclonus's elbow and snap it in a rather painful looking direction. Scattershot says, "no, Terran. I'm getting torn apart by a decepticon...." Combat: Kup strikes Cyclonus with his Whuppin' attack! -1 Even after its incredible transformation, the Orion Pax fights a lot more defensively than the Absolution - defensive of the space fighters, and defensive of the station itself. It now attempts to near the Copernicus, to provide a getaway route to those on board. The Absolution's shots often hit, and several gouge deep holes in the outter armor - at least two weapons stations are taken off-line. Meanwhile, the Orion Pax is becomming a bit more put-upon as it starts directing fire towards the Sweeps as it had towards the Seekers. Spreading its resources so thin, the Orion Pax is left with a lot less to defend itself from the Decepticon vessel. Scourge bellows, over the radio, "SWEEPS! ENGAGE THAT AUTOBOT SCRAPHEAP!" Obediently, the host of Sweeps converges into a tight pack and drives at the heart of the Orion Pax. That ought to keep Rodimus busy for awhile. "Where do you think you're going, whelp?" he growls at Jayson, diving after him and reaching out to tear his claws into soft metal and pull the Terran toward him. "I'm not finished yet." Excise cackles as he's doing very very well as far as he's concerned. But then fate turns against him and Scattershot roars towards the Seek- I mean triplechanger, slamming into Excise from behind. "ARGH!" he exclaims, badly pained by the impact. Excise is nearly skewered by the Technobot fighter, and his pickaxe goes drifing out of his grip. Drawing out his electro rifle he brings the weapon up to his shoulder, aiming down the barrel. "Fragger!" Combat: Excise strikes Battlecruiser with his Electro Cannon attack! Combat: Drained 11 energon. Combat: Scourge strikes Exo-Armor Pegasus with his Clawed Assault attack! -4 Cyclonus is locked in a sort of vicious dance with Kup. His sword swings high and the follow up backswing lashes across the space that seperates him from Kup and misses as well. Kup succeeds in catching Cyclonus' arm and there is a vicious -snap- as the Decepticon Second in Command drops his sword; lurching backwards gracelessly and landing in a defensive crouch. He stares at Kup, optics burning red in rage. Slowly, he reaches to his damaged left arm with his right and pulls away the ruined armor plating without even a grimace. Then, he manually snaps the joint back in place without his gaze even leaving the Elder's face. And then? "RAAAH!" Cyclonus bum rushes Kup. Rushes towards him. Rushes . . . past him; skidding to a halt near the wall and whipping around to reclaim his sword; adopting a ready stance. He seems to be waiting for something. What is he waiting for? Beep....beep....beep.... *FOOM*..... the bomb that is probably attached to Kup's back to explode. Course, it might just go off on the deckplate too and throw up a whole load of mess. Meanwhile, the Absolution continues it's attack run on the Orion Pax. It is unconcerned about such unimportant things as the damage it is taking in an effort to overrun the Autobot flagship as it overextends itself. Combat: Cyclonus strikes Kup with Special Munitions's Sucker Bomb attack! Combat: Cyclonus's Special Munitions is destroyed! Exo-Armor Pegasus is knocked out of the air, but it regains its balance quickly. The pilot stares at Scourge for a moment, then descends again, wordless. What is he up to? Why, he's headed toward a turret on the station! He lands at it and then takes control. "Eat this!" Combat: Exo-Armor Pegasus strikes Scourge with Risk - Copernicus Station's Missile Batteries Area attack! Combat: Exo-Armor Pegasus misses Excise with Risk - Copernicus Station's Missile Batteries Area attack! Combat: Exo-Armor Pegasus (Exo-Armor Pegasus ) used "Missile Batteries": A Level 3 AREA-RANGED attack. Combat: Exo-Armor Pegasus strikes Cyclonus with Risk - Copernicus Station's Missile Batteries Area attack! Battlecruiser successfully rams Excise....woohoo....but good lord it hurt! Oh well. He's shot again, no surprise there. but he transforms and uses his momentum to carry him away from Excise. Of course, this also brings out his rifle to shoot at Excise....yup....the acid pellet one. Flipping his legs out, the wing guns sweep back and the body unfurls itself to reveal the Technobot Commander, Scattershot! Combat: Scattershot strikes Excise with his Automatic Acid-Pellet Gun attack! Combat: Scattershot (Scattershot) used "Automatic Acid-Pellet Gun": A Level 6 RANGED attack. Combat: You took 11 damage. Kup had braced himself to absorb Cyclonus's charge, and looks absolutely mystified as Cyclonus simply runs past him. "What the--" he mutters. Of course, it's all too easy to forget Cyclonus's function is SABOTEUR, a mistake Kup quickly regrets as he hears the beeping. "Ah, frag--" FOOM! Kup is thrown to the floor by the attack, and after taking several moments to recover, he forces himself back up with great effort. Smoke pours off of his back, and even through his mouth. "Ehhnnnh. Didn't take you for the type to use dirty tricks like that, Cyc. Maybe I'm gettin' old." He reaches into a compartment on his hip, pulling something out. "Gotta eat more vitamins. That's what the humans do, you know." Stomping forward, Kup snarls, "Here, why don't you try some of my anti-Decepticon vitamins!" And it is soon clear what Kup was really holding--acid pellets, which he tries to slap across Cyclonus's face and smear all over it. Combat: Kup sets his defense level to Fearless. Combat: Kup strikes Cyclonus with his Acid Musket Laser attack! Kup says, "Hate to admit it, but Cyclonus is trashin' me. Not sure how much longer I can hold up." Rodimus Prime says, "How many left on the station?" Rodimus Prime says, "I hate to say it, but... does the Copernicus have a self-destruct?" Scattershot says, "I'm getting trashed too....but at least I've got this con away from the station. I dunno...." Rodimus Prime says, "Oh, and, uh... looks like the Absolution intends to play chicken with us here." Jayson Redfield says, "I...I don't know." EDC Commander Branson says, "All non-essential personnel have been evacuated from Copernicus Station, Rodimus Prime. Security teams are still onboard. As for a self-destruct mechanism, we can use the station's guidance thrusters to force our orbit to decay, gradually burning the station up in the atmosphere." Scattershot says, "What about to ram the Absolution?" It's rather convienent that the Sweeps have all bunched up now for their assault on the Orion Pax - it cuts down on the number of targets the ship must aim for. Instead, several large beams cut directly through the Sweep squad. The ship finishes moving itself between the Absolution and what's left of the Copernicus, ans as the Absolution looks set to try to overrun the Orion Pax, the Pax... sails forward. A turbo-revvin' young punk is the wrong target for a game of chicken. EDC Commander Branson says, "Our thrusters aren't powerful enough to catch them." Scattershot says, "if it sat still? how long would you need?" Rodimus Prime says, "All right. Set the orbit for decay, and get out of there." Excise giggles as the eletro bolt hits Scattershot. Out of the corner of his optic, however, he spies a missile coming his way. He whirls around, blasting the missile right out of space before it gets to him. "Hah!" he exclaims. This leaves him open for an acid pellet to the groin, however. "My crotch!" Excise shrieks. His rifle gets stowed back in subspace as he clutches the wound. Furious with pain (and maybe a bit of humiliation) he grabs the pickaxe floating next to him and soars towards the Technobot Commander, screaming an incoherent battlecry. Combat: Excise strikes Scattershot with his Being coherent is for sissies attack! Combat: Drained 8 energon. Combat: Scattershot's attack continues to damage you. Combat: You took 5 damage. EDC Commander Branson says, "At this distance, we'd need half an hour--confirmed, Rodimus Prime. Setting orbit to decay and evacauting all personnel." Scattershot says, "SLAG! *OOF*" >:( Gears says, "Slag where?" Grimlock says, "Me dunno. France?" First Aid says, "Ugh... I... you guys remember the evacuation plan here on Mimas, right?" Saboteur Foxfire says, "I don't think he meant *that* Slag!" Grimlock says, "USE SUPER LASER!" Something seems to be up with Copernicus station. EDC security forces are nowhere to be seen, a new of wave of ships has departed from the station, and small thrusters all across the station seem to be pushing it TOWARDS the Earth. Hmm. Scourge shields his face with his arms as he flies in after Jayson, right through the hail of missiles. Explosions surrounded him, and he crosses out of the new debris field to land heavily on his feet on the hull of the station. "Eat? There won't be enough left of you to eat," he smirks. A green beam flashes out of the turret on his head, scorching and eating away at any metal it touches. As for those Sweeps? It doesn't seem that Scourge cares about the Sweeps, so long as they do their duty and harass the Orion Pax, keeping it from bringing its full weaponry to bear on any one target. Combat: Scourge strikes Exo-Armor Pegasus with his Acid Ray attack! Cyclonus doesn't even attempt to truly dodge. This fight has become personal to that degree. In fact he is already rushing in against Kup as the Elder charges him, not unlike the attempt to ram each other that they made in their vehicle modes not so long ago. "Your age betrays you, Autobot!" He says, voice a rasp because of heavy damage in his neck and chest region. This is only added to as the pellets immediatly begin to sear into his face. He drops the sword that he was holding, both hands raising to attempt to scrape it away from his optics in a hiss of pain. But not before that sword that he was holding attempts to bury itself in Kup's midsection in an eerie simulacrum of the last time that they fought. Only Cyclonus isn't capable of noticing if it hits or misses, he's too busy with preserving his senses. Engaging a tactical retreat for a moment, he vaults behind a fighter craft. "A bold move, Elder. I would have suspected you would have long since collapsed from your damage -- any other would have. Come on then, old one, if you are ready to die!" He sets himself with his pistol in hand; ready. Meanwhile, the Absolution shows that it has an idiot in action at the helm. The thrusters are roaring full burn as the armored prow attempts to absorb the fire coming in towards it. It actually suceeds here and there, and attempts to call the bluff of the punk. If it means an in-space collision, so be it! Combat: Cyclonus sets his defense level to Guarded. Combat: Cyclonus misses Kup with his Diamond-Boron Carbide Sword attack! -2 Kup smacks aside Cyclonus's sword with the back of his hand, narrowly dodging another impalement courtesy of Galvatron's lackey. "Yeah, I'm old, Cyclonus. Older than I have any right to be. But the way I look at it, I've taken everything you Decepticons have thrown at me and survived it. You've blown me up, shot me, stabbed me, tortured me, but you can never finish me off! And you know what else!? I'm gonna outlive the fraggin' Decepticon Empire!" Then, Kup gives the fighter Cyclonus is hiding behind a good punt, trying to topple it over and knock it into Cyclonus's legs! Combat: Exo-Armor Pegasus strikes Scourge with Risk - Copernicus Station's Point Defense Lasers attack! Combat: Kup strikes Cyclonus with his No Cover (Kick) attack! Scattershot literally takes the pickaxe in the arm......and isn't coherent either. By now he's aiming a punch at Excise....still looking to buy time for the station to be evaced...... Combat: Scattershot strikes Excise with his Punch attack! Combat: Scattershot (Scattershot) used "Punch": A Level 1 MELEE attack. Combat: You took 6 damage. Combat: Scattershot's attack has damaged your Firepower! Red Alert says, "First Aid had to withdraw!" First Aid says, "I'll meet you at the rendezvous." Scattershot says, "We're about to as well, red Alert." Jayson Redfield says, "Acid...dammit." Kup says, "I'll be right with you guys. I gotta settle this score with Cyclonus!" Out of the corner of his optic, Excise sees ships fleeing Copernicus. He knows that's good but it doesn't help him right here against Scattershot. Still feeling the burning senstation in his crotch (not /that/ kind of burning senstation, you sickos!) from Scattershot's acid pellet, Excise receives a punch to the face. Momentarily off balance (as one can be in space) he retaliates by trying to kick Scattershot in the gut. "Hey maybe once I'm done with you I'll go destroy those fleeing ships. Whadya say?" Scattershot says, "I could lend you a bit of Aid, Kup......" Scattershot says, "but I'm nearly out of energon." Kup says, "Worry about yerself, Cyclonus is mine!" Rodimus Prime is in a giant space ship that's about to collide with another giant space ship, but that's not what he sounds worried about. "Hey, Kup? Watch yourself, please. If you have to withdraw, withdraw." Kup says, "Ennh, yeah yeah." The Absolution may be piloted by an idiot, but the Orion Pax is commanded by Rodimus Prime. Draw your own conclusions. The capital vessel continues forward, directly towards the Absolution. Sweeps are still being fired at, but they'd better not get in the way! It seems that Rodimus fully intends to test this thing's hull integrity, for he doesn't stray, doesn't move aside. Full steam ahead, until it's far too late for either of the massive vessels to get out of the way! Combat: Excise strikes Scattershot with his Kick attack! Combat: Drained 2 energon. Combat: Scattershot's attack continues to damage you. Combat: You took 3 damage. Combat: Scattershot's attack has damaged your Agility! EDC Commander Branson says, "Rodimus Prime, this is Commander Branson. I'm staying behind. I have to make sure the thrusters will bring the station down." Rodimus Prime says, "There's no other way?" Jayson Redfield says, "Hey...don't just throw away your life like that!" Scourge walks openly through the lasers, stalking after the human. He smiles callously, even as the shots poke holes in his armor. "Your space station is falling, wretch," he smirks. "I'll survive rentry. How long will that little suit of yours last after I rip it to shreds?" He lunges at Jayson, flashing his claws again, striking at the 'heart' of the suit, the pilot's compartment in the torso. Combat: Scourge misses Exo-Armor Pegasus with his Clawed Assault attack! EDC Commander Branson says, "Without someone in the control center, the Decepticons might override the auto-piloting systems." Rodimus Prime says, "I understand, Commander. You'll be remembered." The Absolution presses onwards; forward batteries firing as fast as they can recycle. Faster, really. The stream of shots slackens as the two ships draw closer and closer as over-use and disregard for thermal tolerences has caused many of the ion beam emitters to burn out and silence. But the rocket launchers sure work though and continue to launch volley after volley at the Orion Pax as the two ships scream towards each other. Meanwhile, Cyclonus still hunkered behind that fighter craft as Kup's acid continues to eat into his systems. He seems to be rather stubborn and entirely unwilling to go down as of yet, setting himself to recieve the charge. Only it doesn't come. The fighter slides sideways, crushing Cyclonus' left foot and ankle and hobbling him. But apparently, he still has fight in him; still ready to go as he levels his pistol at Kup for one last shot. Only when he squeezes the trigger, nothing happens. He doesn't have access to his sword either, since he dropped it when he was attacking earlier. But what he can do? He turns, bending, grasping the fighter craft and lifting it high -- meaning to throw it at Kup with all of his strength, even as the effort overtaxes his his already damaged elbow in one last attempt to force Kup into something like a retreat. Elsewhere, the Absolution fully calls the game of chicken. Firing one last volley, all hands brace for impact and go to damage control stations as the Orion Pax's prow opens a long furrow in the hull. Striking almost nose to nose with hundreds of thousands of tons behind it, the Absolution's forward hull is torn open like a child tearing open potato chips -- atmosphere venting from huge aperatures, weapon batteries going silent and main power flickering. Though the Orion Pax probably won't be in any better condition. Jayson Redfield is quiet for a moment. "Then...why don't you let *me* stay behind? Hell, all this time I've been cheating death, so I might as well take this risk, too." Raven Core Agent Nate Briar says, "Yeah, let Redfield --- wait, what?" Combat: Cyclonus misses Kup with his Shuttle To the Face (Smash) attack! EDC Commander Branson says, "This isn't up for debate, Corporal." Scattershot says, "if I had the energon......." Jayson Redfield says, "I'm sick of this... You're more important than I am, anyway." Exo-Armor Pegasus 's thrusters activate just in time to avoid being clawed. The armor's machine guns activate, but don't fire. Not yet. "I've escaped death so many times that I'm practically a master of it. Oh, by the way, I still owe you for that scar." He fires now. Combat: Exo-Armor Pegasus misses Scourge with its Medium Machine Gun attack! Scattershot says, "I can't stay guys...." Kup doesn't dodge the fighter--instead, he braces himself and *catches it.* "Hrrrgh!" Kup grunts, every last actuator and servo in his body straining with the effort as he keeps the large craft overhead. Cracks appear across his body as his physical efforts push him beyond his limits. "You know what... Cyclonus... maybe I'm wrong... maybe I won't outlive the Decepticon Empire. But if I burn up on this damn station, so will you!" As he tries to slam the fighter down onto Cyclonus's head, he screams, "I'll make sure yer not gettin' outta here alive, Cyclonus!" Combat: Kup sets his defense level to Fearless. Combat: Kup misses Cyclonus with his Whuppin' attack! Jayson Redfield says, "I'm not gonna just stand here and let someone die..." Scattershot glares at Excise before watching the Station and it's orbit start to decay. "bought enough time. Enjoy yourself, Buckethead.......Galvatron doesn't share power." He says before transforming and flying away towards earth. Lifting into the air, the wings extend, engines lock into place and the nose locks into place, revealing Scattershot's second form to be a heavy fighter. Combat: Scattershot sets his defense level to Protected. Combat: Battlecruiser begins retreating, leaving himself vulnerable to parting shots from Decepticon Starship Rodimus, who had been standing, pacing from station to station, heavy footsteps falling surely and heavily, now moves to the Command chair and sits down just as the Orion Pax and the Absolution begin a kiss that goes horribly ary. Metal shrieks and cries out as though in pain as it is rent asunder, AUNTIE, the Pax's AI wails, sounds almost paniced as she lists casualty after casualty, as her internal maintenance systems fight - and fail - to keep important ship's systems operational. Rodimus himself is thrown from his chair as the command deck bucks and /buckles/ beneath him, and he mutters a silent thanks to the forces of chance that the organics had been moved to the more protected internal spaces as the Command Deck loses its atmosphere explosively. Then, still screaming, the Orion Pax begins a slow reverse, decks briefly interlaced with the Absolution's now departing as the Autobot vessel tries hard to end the violent embrace it shared with its dark cousin. Dr. Excise says, "Ahhhh ha ha ha ha ha! Looks like I was too much for Scattershot to handle. Commander Scourge sir, Commander Cyclonus sir, either of you have an Autobot who needs a missile in the back?" While the two massive capital ships plow into each other, it is now obvious that Copernicus Station is attempting to use its guidance thrusters to slowly but surely push itself towards the Earth. Clearly the EDC does not want the Decepticons to have such a prize. And the only man left to crew the station, Commander Branson, is calmly sitting at a control station, watching the Earth grow bigger on an exterior viewport. Cyclonus hisses in a dry rasp. "Stop the station from moving. Do. Not. Care. How." Dr. Excise says, "Uh... stop the... um... well sir, I am glad you have such faith in me." Scourge turns, flying out of the way of the machine guns, drawn by some unseen force toward Kup and Cyclonus. "KUP!" he barks. "GET OUT HERE SO I CAN RIP YOU TO SHREDS!" He pulls out his Laser Blaster, aiming it carefully and firing at the ancient Autobot. "Enough toying with them, Cyclonus, it's time to break them!" Even as the carnage reigns, of ships exploding around him and the station dropping from orbit, Scourge is still only focused on destruction. Combat: Scourge strikes Kup with his Laser Blaster attack! Scourge says, "I've got this worthless wretch, /you/ take care of the station." Raven Core Agent Nate Briar says, "Good thinking Jayson." Excise sneers at Scattershot, gleefully watching as the Technobot transforms and zips away. "That's because sharing is for /wieners/, Crappershot! Heh heh... Crappershot... I gotta start writing these down." Upon receiving new orders, Excise transforms into jet mode, soaring up and over the Absolution/Orion Pax mashup back towards Copernicus Station. His ventral electro cannon turret sends sizzling electro-zaps towards those thrusters, trying to depower it. Kup and Cyclonus are having an epic duel it seems. Though his foot and calf are crushed and useless, Cyclonus has enough agility left to lunge forward as the fighter is brought down; smashing into the deck where he stood before. With both arms upraised he attempts to tackle Kup to the floor and reach into his subspace compartment for a backup pistol. Cyclonus is broken and bleeding; leaking all sorts of vile fluids from various rends in his body. He is utterly not the least bit conscious of his brother's attempt to do in his opponent in a rare case of target fixation. Waste radiation billowing about him in a sickening cloud he attempts to place the pistol against Kup's chest and fire from point blank range. Given his own power reserves and condition though, it is entirely possible that it will not even hit. Robots in disguise! Excise transforms into his sleek Cybertronian jet mode. Combat: Cyclonus sets his defense level to Fearless. Combat: Cyclonus strikes Kup with his Oxidizing Laser attack! Combat: That attack has temporarily impaired Kup's Agility. (Crippled) Combat: Cybertronian Jet strikes Risk - Copernicus Station with his Electro Cannon attack! -3 Combat: Drained 2 energon. Combat: Battlecruiser 's attack finally wears off. Kup says, "Dammit--Cyclonus and Scourge are double-teaming me! And I'm too badly damaged to fight even one of them at this point! I'm getting the frag outta here!" Scattershot says, "I'm already gone, Kup. REDFIELD! MOVE IT!" Rodimus Prime says, "Thank Pri- I mean, acknowledged, Kup." The Absolution is not in any better shape than the Orion Pax at all. The crew suffers horribly as do the various systems throughout the massive vessel. Indeed, main power goes offline again and the chief engineer proclaims a grim litany of offline systems. Captain Astromath is killed by a secondary explosion on the bridge, and now under the command of Lieutenant Cloudburst the Absolution slowly begins to come back online. Under full reverse it goes as well -- deckplates heaving and twisting, the two ships' backing away from each other being just as grevious as the impact. Dr. Excise says, "Sirs?" Scourge says, "WHAT?!" Cyclonus says, "WHAT?!" Dr. Excise is way calmer than Scourge and Cyclonus right now, it seems. "Once we take this station over, can we rename it the 'Galvatron's Awesome'?" Cyclonus says, "..." The laser from Scourge lances right through Kup's knee, causing him to drop down on that leg. And with that new injury, Cyclonus's tackle, followed up a by a point-blank laser blast to the chest, breaches his armor and burns his insides something awful. "AAGGHHHH!" he screams, his optics flaring red as his damage goes critical. "Rrrgh, fine, you win this time, Cyclonus--" Kup grunts, and attempts to kick Cyclonus off. "But don't pat yerself on the back or nuthin'! If Scourge hadn't been holdin' yer hand, I woulda torn you to shreds!" And so, Kup leaves through the most logical means available to him, which, is namely, to jump up and right out through the hull breach that Cyclonus opened up in the hull. Kup looks up as he fully enters the void--good, his course will take him kinda sorta near the Orion Pax, even though that ship looks kind of horrible right now! Combat: Kup begins retreating, leaving himself vulnerable to parting shots from Decepticon Starship , Scourge, Cybertronian Jet , Battlecruiser , Cyclonus, Exo-Armor Pegasus , and Autobot Flagship Raven Core Agent Nate Briar has static on his radio. "What's that Jayson? You lost your arm? I'll get medics ready to get the prosthetics worked on!" >:( Gears says, "Geez, everybody's losing their arms these days." Now that Scourge is no longer focused on him, Jayson speeds toward the control station and practically crashes through it. "Okay," he says firmly. "I'm not leaving you here, Commander. Come with me. I'll make sure the Decepticons don't get the station." Jayson Redfield says, "Shut up, Nate..." The Copernicus continues its slow fall towards the Earth, but Excise's attacks on its thrusters have delayed its descent considerably. Only a handful of thrusters remain to push the station, but nevertheless, it has built up quite a bit of momentum. Kup says, "Alright, I jettisoned myself. Hope somebody's there to pick me up." Scattershot says, "I gotcha kup. Hope you're re-entry resistant." Kup says, "Ehm, I used to be. Just drop me off on the Pax. I'm sure there's a deck on there somewhere that Rodimus hasn't managed to blow up, yet." Rodimus Prime says, "The internal sections are still doing pretty good. That's where we've got all the evacuees." Cyclonus hisses, softly. "Find the *static* control center. Kill *static* whomever is present. Stabilize. The *static* station." Raven Core Agent Nate Briar says, "Don't worry, Kid... I got the best medics on standby!" Scattershot says, "all right.....give us a hangar." Rodimus, unlike Astromath, is not killed. Aaw! Finally, the Orion Pax limps free of the Absolution and backs up, nearer to the Copernicus and the evacuees. Inside, everywhere, all available hands struggle to contain and repair the damage done, but the inner core of the vessel still works, the dwarf universe containment system is not breached - there are still safe zones within. The Pax moves in to pick up the stragglers, Rodimus decided he's done as much as he can to recover their retreat, now turns to assist with it. Rodimus Prime says, "Get on board here, old man." Scourge puts away his Laser Blaster as Kup begins to flee. "Good riddance," he snarls, spitting. Yes. Spitting. /In space/. With his previous quarry smashing through the ship, he obviously believes that to be a good idea. Because his next move is to transform and activate the highest levels of his sublight drives, rapidly accelerating toward the human and his exo-suit. "Get away from those controls!" he yells over the radio, slamming through a window after the human. Scourge transforms into his Sweep Spacecraft mode. Combat: Sweep Spacecraft strikes Exo-Armor Pegasus with his Intercept attack! Cybertronian Jet doesn't really know how momentum works other than that things wot goez fast ain't stoppin' too good. Shooting out all the thrusters might not be enough to suddenly stabilize Copernicus since it's already heading towards Earth, but the triplechanger doesn't have many options available to him. Electro bolts continue to fly towards the station in an attempt to shut down the rest of the thrusters on this side of Copernicus. He, unlike Scourge and Cyclonus, is very calm and super duper relaxed at the moment, as he is basking in the glow of a victory. He wishes he had an ener-cigarette right around now. He hears Cyclonus buzzing about something and makes a note to carry out those orders. Next round. Combat: Cybertronian Jet strikes Risk - Copernicus Station with his Electro Cannon attack! -2 Combat: Drained 5 energon. Cyclonus is having difficulties getting his feet out from under him. It's been a long time since he was damaged this badly, and the pain is somehow satisfying. Exactly why it is satisfying is a mystery to him. He doesn't fire at Kup as the Autobot turns to retreat, instead he is focused mainly on getting himself back togeather -- transforming with difficulty and exiting the hangar bay. Meanwhile, the Absolution founders in space; sitting dead while the engineers attempt to get her drives back online. If the Orion Pax wants to make a getaway, now is probably the time. Combat: Cyclonus takes extra time to steady himself. Pass All of the Copernicus's thrusters facing away from the Earth have been destroyed. With none left, the station has no remaining means of self-destruction. Commander Branson paces about the Control Center, considering his options. Hm. Maybe he could settle for destroying the computer systems? He approaches a fire axe, smashes its case open, and pulls it out. Battlecruiser makes his way back, but isn't heading for the battle again, no....he's heading for Kup. of course.....the intercept path is rather quick and steep.... Scattershot says, "rodimus?" Scattershot says, "if Redfield can get Branson out of there.....how do you feel about turning the Orion's guns upon the station?" Kup looks back at the station, wondering why the Decepticons didn't try to finish him off. Well--that's fairly obvious. They have larger issues to consider. As Scattershot approaches him, Kup holds out a hand, trying to catch his wing. "Hope this doesn't snap me in half..." With the little time he has left, Jayson makes it to the control center. "Commander!" he emits to Branson. "I'm not leaving you behind. Come with me, NOW!" It's not his place to give orders. But this is a simple request. It's not in his nature to let someone die when there's a chance he can save them. "C'mon! Please!" Rodimus Prime says, "Erm... I'll see what I can get online." With the little time he has left, Jayson makes it to the control center. "Commander!" he emits to Branson. "I'm not leaving you behind. Come with me, NOW!" It's not his place to give orders. But this is a simple request. It's not in his nature to let someone die when there's a chance he can save them. "C'mon! Please!" Unfortunately, Scourge is right behind him, and he is assaulted, hard. "AHH!" Sweep Spacecraft transforms into his Scourge mode. Rodimus Prime says, "Who're we still missing? We can't stick around much longer." Scattershot says, "REDFIELD!" Scattershot says, "I've got Kup....." Scourge flips back into his robot mode, smirking at the tiny humans as he makes his way toward the controls. "This station is now the property of LORD GALVATRON!" he bellows. "/GET OUT/!" Transforming into his starfighter mode, Cyclonus is backlit by the eerie blue glow of nuclear-powered turbines as they come online. Raven Core Agent Nate Briar says, "Redfield, do not try to be a hero! Get back to Earth safely!" Kup says, "Wha--Redfield?! Dammit, son, get off that station! Either it's gonna get overrun by 'cons or it's gonna burn up in the station, and either way yer gonna get killed!" Cybertronian Starfighter enters space at a quarter power. It is all that he can properly manage at this point. He flies around the station towards the breach in the command center that Scourge entered through, transforming again as he staggers forwards; apparently ready to assist with Jayson if required. Kup says, "OOC: Er, burn up in the atmosphere. :>" The purple glow of nuclear-powered turbines fades away as Cyclonus shifts into Robot Mode. Combat: Cyclonus takes extra time to steady himself. Pass Jayson Redfield says, "Not without Commander Branson!" Chief Crosshairs says, "Punch him in the face and take him then, if ya gotta, Kid! Don't sit there!" Chief Crosshairs says, "Don't get both of you killed!" This is Radio Clash! Nate Briar says, "REDFIELD... YOU HAVE TOO MUCH TO LIVE FOR." This is Radio Clash! Nate Briar says, "Like Elton John Day!" Scattershot says, "Rodimus.....as soon as Redfield's clear.....fire on the station." Rodimus Prime says firmly, "Redfield, we can lose one today, or we can lose two today. Branson made his choice, and now you've got to make yours." Cybertronian Jet saw Scourge blasting through the station and so figures he can handle the controls. With the thrusters offline, Excise does a little loop de loop, heading towards the Absolution to check out the damage dealt to it firsthand. "No can do, Corporal," Commander Branson replies. "And aren't you supposed to be retreating with the others? Look, I have to stop them from capturing this station, and failing that, I have to make sure there's nothing to capture! Now get out of here!" He slams the axe down onto the thruster controls, and adjacent view panels flicker as the axe sinks in. He looks up briefly as the Decepticons enter, his lips pursed in a thin line. "Well, you can tell Lord Galvatron he can kiss my ass." He raises the axe up again-- Scourge reaches down to grab the EDC Commander, since he's in the way of the controls. And then he flings him at Jayson's suit. "I SAID GET OUT!" he roars. Combat: Scourge strikes Exo-Armor Pegasus with his EDC Commander Branson. Ew. (Grab) attack! Raven Core Agent Nate Briar says, "Redfield, I'll name a gerbil after you to commemorate you." Exo-Armor Pegasus catches the Commander in its arms. Although he's probably in quite a bit of pain from that. "Thanks, I needed that!" Jayson emits to Scourge. "Later!" He speeds off, activating his thrusters and making a beeline for the Orion Pax, as fast as his armor can go. "Incoming!" Scattershot says, "if you have any heavy cannons online, Rod.....fire them now." Jayson Redfield says, "I'm not dying, Nate!" Autobot Flagship has a hatch open. And a port hole. And a nomral hole. And a lot of other normal holes. It should be easy for Jayson to get in. Scattershot boards Autobot Flagship . Exo-Armor Pegasus boards Autobot Flagship . Rodimus Prime sounds just a /bit/ stressed. "Thank you for your permission, Scattershot Prime. The weapons systems that we /do/ have online have downed targeting systems, and there are other escape pods out there that I'm not going to risk." Scattershot says, "Slag!" Scattershot grumbles something about bucketheads and tinplates....or something like that. Raven Core Agent Nate Briar says, "Redfield, I got the doctors ready for you." Cyclonus grunts to himself as the command center is cleared. Turning to move towards the mangled controls, he grunts again. Then steps past Scourge; shoving him out of the way if necessary in order to reach a secondary terminal. Though it isn't meant for it, he breaks it open and begins to go to work. Though he's a saboteur, not a technician, the end result is that the station manages to get stabilized in a -very- shaky orbit that -will- require being boosted later. But. Stable for the moment. The Absolution is also dead in the water, though, that too, will probably be rectified soon. And already, a few batteries are beginning to come back online. Dr. Excise says, "So how about my suggestion?" Autobot Flagship recovers what escape pods that it can. Though there are a few weapons systems still online, more often than not, their targeting systems aren't. Today was a loss - a complete wash-out, on many fronts, though the loss of life is far lower than one would expect from such a crushing defeat. This day, the Autobots shall have to console themselves with that, for it's the nearest thing to a victory they have. Decepticon Message: 2/91 Posted Author Copernicus Thu May 28 Swindle -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Swindle here! You know me! You love me! Ahem. Being the resident genius and all around great guy of the faction, I just had the most -wonderful- thought that will make everyone here feel really good about themselves and their place in the universe. What if, now bear with me for an astrosec here, -what if- we design some sort of crazy mega orbital weapon system, install it on that shiny new space station we just captured, and then -- and this is the good part -- use it to -hold Earth cities for ransom-! I know, how amazing is that! Well, it -just so happens- that I have a design for a microwave relay network that I picked up from esteemed city infrastructure planner Will Wright. Now it's -supposed- to generate power from solar cells in orbit and relay it to big receivers on the ground, but without a receiver, the beam just burns through everything in its path in a vast conflagration of pain and misery! I guess that's what you get for basing your entire power output on a marginally controllable -death laser-. It's -so cool-, I know, right! So decision-makers, make your decisions, this is a limited time offer. It's priced to sell! You can just set it and forget it!! C'mon, I need enerbeer money, here!" = EDC = Message: 22/21 Posted Author Administrivia Thu May 28 Marissa Faireborn -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * The Michael Briar was evacuated from Copernicus to Alameda for repairs due to the loss of the station to Decepticon forces. * Jayson Redfield is no longer an acting Corporal and instead is a full Corporal. = Reports Message: 9/32 Posted Author Decepticon Assault! Wed May 27 Cyclonus -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Decepticons push back, Hard!" SOL SYSTEM - This Evening, the Decepticons made a major push deep into the Sol system. Though previous skirmishes and small assaults had been reported, nothing of this magnitude has occured in some time. Two seperate groups attacked not only Mimas, but Copernicus Station in orbit of Earth. Though the Autobots fought valiantly, they were unable to hold on to either location. A series of images flash across the screen. They include: *The Absolution and the Orion Pax ramming each other. *Scourge lunging after Jayson Redfield's Pegasus armor. *Scattershot blasting Excise. *Cyclonus and Kup locked in hand to hand combat. *Dirge firing machineguns into a cowering First Aid. *Red Alert blasting Dreadwind with his rifle. *Hun-Grrr axing Gears to the ground. *Foxfire manning the Mimas controls to blast someone with the laser. Earth Defense Command has no comment yet on the loss of Copernicus Station, nor an apparent Autobot attempt to de-orbit it that was thwarted by the Decepticons. Orbital observation indicates that recovery efforts to pull the station into a higher, safer orbit are underway. The Autobot rescue efforts were valiant, and despite the loss of the station and extreme damage to both the Orion Pax and the Decepticon Flagship Absolution, loss of life was surprisingly minimal. = Reports Message: 9/33 Posted Author Decepticons Take Copernicus Statio Thu May 28 Excise -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In addition to the above. DECEPTICONS TAKE COPERNICUS STATION NEW YORK - After weeks of repeated attacks on space facilities over Earth, the Decepticons succeeded in acquiring a foothold in our planet's orbit. Copernicus Station, noted for being the most heavily defended permanent space facility in the system, was sieged in an attack that included the Decepticon flagship Absolution. Both it and the Autobot flagship Orion Pax were "severely" damaged after trading fire for the better part of an hour, culminating in a collision between the two massive vessels. Both Autobot and Earth Defence Command soldiers were forced into a retreat, abandoning Copernicus to the enemy. In addition to the Absolution, the Decepticons struck with numerous space soldiers, of note relying on their Sweep Corp to gain the advantage. Leaders from around the globe condemned both the attack and the so-called "fiasco" that nearly occurred when Copernicus threatened to fall out of orbit and nearly burned up in the atmosphere, apparently an action taken by Copernicus Commander Branson. Branson himself would have been killed were it not for the actions of EDC Corporal Jayson Redfield, who evacuated the Commander while under heavy fire. The United Nations Security Council convened for an emergency meeting to discuss the situation amidst calls from various national representatives for the resignation of Commander Branson as well as other policy-makers involved in keeping Earth's spacebound borders secure. Also discussed was the loss of Mimas to the Decepticons, attacked at the same time as Copernicus. Colonel Marissa Faireborn, EDC's s econd in command, admitted the defeat was "disheartening" but stressed that "every reasonable action will be taken to protect against any threat now presented by Copernicus." Critics noted that coupled with the severe damage taken by the space shuttle Michael Briar this past week, Earth Defence Command's capital space force has been hugely diminished. EDC space defence expert Andre Quinto said that the possibility of the Decepticons dropping the station to Earth was not likely. "Copernicus would break apart upon entering Earth's atmosphere, and while fragments of the station could present a danger if it landed in an inhabited area, it'd be a fairly inefficient way to cause wholesale destruction." Copernicus Station was constructed as a joint military/civilian endeavor. It included trade ports, heavy repair and construction facilities, living quarters for visiting aliens, and an EDC military base. Former US President Schwarzenegger once famously called Copernicus Station "Proof of mankind's determination." OOC: News channels cover this story 24/7. CNN has an Earth-stationed long ranged telescope camera watching Copernicus at all times, available on their website. A mere shot of an unknown Seeker waving in the direction of the camera results in hours of pundrity. =